NatWest warns about fake text scam

Thursday 30 November 2017

NatWest is warning islanders against a fake text message asking them to call a fraud prevention number about a recent purchase made on their account, and provide personal details.

The text message, appears to come from the bank and looks genuine, but once the caller is put through to a fake call centre, they are asked to provide personal account details allowing the fraudsters to commit a crime against them.

The fake text messages can appear within the same message thread as a genuine text message from NatWest International, which makes them difficult to spot. However, the bank’s advising anyone who’s received this message – or any other suspicious message – to take the following precautions:

• Check the number you’re being asked to call. Only ever call the bank on a known or published number (such as on our website, the telephone directory or on your bank statement). Never call back on a number contained within a text message.
• Never use your card reader when logging into your online banking account, or over the phone
• If you’ve responded to a message like this, you should contact the bank immediately using our published numbers
• Recipients of fraudulent messages can help by sending a copy to phishing@natwest.com

Steve Wakelin, Managing Director of Personal and Business Banking for NatWest International, commented: “NatWest International will never ask you for a card reader code over the phone. These are used for our customers’ security and should be kept secret. If you believe your account’s been compromised or you think you’ve given away your secret information, please get in touch with us as soon as possible using only our published numbers.”